Stun gun used on ‘Pokemon-Go’ player who resisted arrest
TAMPA, Fla. >> Police in Florida used a stun gun on a “Pokemon Go” player who resisted arrest when officers chased about 150 people out of Tampa’s Ballast Point Park after closing time.
Lt. Ricardo Ubinas said in a news release that everyone except 20-year-old David T. Mastrototaro-Baermude complied with officers’ commands to leave the park around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
Ubinas says when police attempted to arrest him, he grabbed an officer’s arm and pushed off. He continued resisting, almost pulling an officer to the ground. That’s when the stun gun was used.
The report says the man was then arrested without further incident. Records don’t list an attorney for him.
Police remind “Pokemon Go” players to be aware of their surroundings and not to go to city parks after closing time.
11 responses to “Stun gun used on ‘Pokemon-Go’ player who resisted arrest”
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“Taser” may be a trademarked product name, but please resist the temptation to call them “stun guns”. It’s perfectly OK to keep on using “Taser”, but these devices are not “stun guns” because they don’t work by “stunning” the person on the receiving end.
What they do is inflict pain severe enough to immobilize the recipient of a Taser barb. They don’t “stun” them because the shock is to the body, not the brain. They don’t change the level of consciousness, therefore they don’t “stun”.
Why make a big deal out of the choice of terms? Because we need to acknowledge that Tasers work by causing severe pain. The police wouldn’t want them to “stun” because a stunned individual is less capable of reacting to severe pain. The intent is to inflict as severe a pain as possible without permanently injuring or killing the individual.
Of course, this doesn’t always succeed. Quite a number of people have died as a result of the shock they experience from the severe pain inflicted by the Taser. Journalists shouldn’t be in the business of minimizing the effect of this device by mealymouthing what you call it. It may please the police, but it does a disservice to your profession.
So please cease and desist from this inaccurate term “stun gun”.
Both by police and marketeers of the product. Stun connotes only temporarily immobilizing effect and almost as lethal as a gun. Only stun the police departments into believing it is harmless and an effective tool i law enforcement.
You win the geek award for today.
BTW, it’s an AP story not local, so who you writing to? No matter no one cares.
Very educational analysis. Helps to understand why we should NOT expect this weapon to neutralize an attacker permanently. Should follow up with a chokehold or a good punch to the face while he/she/LBGT is temporarily incapacitated. Then cuff ’em.
Next time, “Taser” his phone! That will hurt the kid more than 50,000 volts hitting him, when he loses a $500 smartphone.
Good for him. Irresponsible idiots playing the game.
Police Officers are already have a lot on their hands providing the public protections from criminals. Do they need these Pokemon’s game players to distract them from more serious crimes?
Resisting ,scuffling with cops? The fool was lucky he did not get shot.
Didn’t get shot, must’ve been a white guy.
lol